Photographs of a Soldier
by Sarcastic Musician
Summary: Mark and Callie learn more about Arizona and her brother through both Arizona and an old friend. ' It's like I'm looking from a distance, standing in the background. Everybody's saying he's not coming home now." NOT A SONGFIC


This is my first Grey's Anatomy story so I please go easy if I don't have the characters completely down. There is a part in here about Mark and Callie that are not very nice but believe me when I say it is not my own opinion of them but the opinion of the character in the situation, this will make since when you get there. Also any things that may be considered offensive in this story are not meant to be. I have the utmost respect for the soldiers, so no offense is meant in any of this.

Please read and I would love it if you would review.

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><p>Arizona's POV<p>

Days like these are the hardest.

Callie has the early shift and Sophia is with Mark, so an empty house greets me when the alarm clock rings.

Dragging myself from the bed, a heavy feeling comes over me.

Finishing my morning routine going slower than usual, I leave the house with just enough time to get to the hospital for my shift.

Once at the hospital, the heavy feeling still wouldn't shake off. Pasting a smile on my face, I go through rounds with all the tiny humans and council with a few of the parents.

Finally I find myself walking to the cafeteria for lunch. The idea of seeing Callie for a few minutes, seems to ease a bit of the heaviness, but the pressure and emptiness seems infinite.

The group looks up and smile a bit when I take a seat beside Callie, setting my tray down.

"Hey guys anything new?" I ask trying to perk myself up, at the very least to make them believe it.

I half listen as Mark goes on a rant about Lexie and something or other. Mostly my mind is off in the dark place my mind always goes on days like this. My brother. I never really leave myself time to cry over him, even after he died, which causes me to have bouts of grief which I'm starting to see is what I'm going through.

I can hear a concerned voice in the distance, but Tim's smiling face after I came out to him took up my attention.

Finally feeling a had rubbing my back, I blink out of my memory quickly whipping my eyes and looking toward Callie who's had had been comforting me.

"Hey are you okay?" She asks in concern

I can feel Callie, Mark and Teddy's eyes on me, as I glance down at my tray.

I open my mouth to speak, but I can not figure out what to say. It's not like I can pour out my grief, I am from an army family. I am strong, I can handle this, at least until Callie and I are home alone.

My phone goes off, and I glance down at the text. Almost immediately the heavy feeling is decreased, replaced by a bit of concern and relief.

Wiping eyes quickly I glance up at the three concerned faces and put on a small genuine smile, "I'm awesome. I'll see you later." I whisper my voice cracking a bit, and walk quickly from the table.

Rounding my way to the room I had been texted I open the door to see a brown haired man around my age, with kind dark brown eyes, and tan features. His bed was littered with photographs and old looking letters.

"Hey John." I say with a sad smile

"Arizona! Come sit with me! It's been.." A sad silence hung in the room, "it's been way too long." He finishes with a killer smile.

"Yeah not since Tim's…not since Tim." I reply my voice cracking.

Stepping into the room, I take the seat he offers beside him on the bed.

"What are you in here for?" I ask glancing around at the pictures.

"My leg has been acting up from the last tour. They moved me to the base a few miles away on desk work after the accident." He replies motioning to the scared leg.

"I hear bombs and body parts don't mix well." I reply trying to add a bit of levity to the day.

"They really don't." He replies with a small chuckle that I join in with him.

"I see you got married." He says glancing at my ring.

"Yep a few months ago, I tried to contact you but you had just started fighting in the tour." I answer picking up the picture closest to me of Tim and him in their uniforms with smiles on their faces.

"Yeah, I probably would've been better off had I been able to come. Maybe I wouldn't be in this position" He smiles teasingly, "But then again I'd never have been able to see where you work or live near you guys. Plus I hear you're wife works her, maybe I'll have to make my nurse find her for me." He finishes picking up one of the letters that were spread out.

"Getting nurses to stalk for you now? From what I heard you used to be the one stalking them at the Red Cross stations." I quip with a laugh.

"Nice Arizona, great bedside manner. I hope your tiny humans get better treatment then me." He says with a pout.

"Well I actually like the tiny humans, you however." I trail off with a smirk.

"That's it! I may be injured but I still know how to get to you Arizona!" He says with a brotherly smile. Before I can respond, he's got me laughing hysterically and begging from mercy from his relentlessly tickling hands.

A loud throat clear drew us from our fight. Glancing at the door with guilty childlike looks on our faces we can see Mark and Callie standing shocked in the doorway.

Righting myself beside John I feel his arm wrap protectively around my shoulders.

"Hey Dr. Torres, and angry glaring man." John says quirking an eye at Mark's glare.

"That's Mark." I say leaning back into him, finally getting rid of the heavy feeling.

"Who are you?" Mark says harshly, a protective tone in his voice. The protection more for Callie then for me.

"Sargent John Bailer of the United States Marines, you?" He answers with a sarcastic glare.

"The protective best friend of the wife of the woman you were just man handling." He answers quickly.

"He does know you're a lesbian, right?" John mocks in a stage whisper. "Believe me," He continues, "I have tried before. How many marriage proposals did you have to turn down before I finally figured it out?"

At Mark and Calliope's widening eyes, I jump in to correct him, "He was drunk. Drunken proposals mean nothing in my book. If so I'd be married so many times by now."

Twin smirks rest on both John and my lips and I find my eyes drawn into the humored and horrored eyes of my wife.

"That didn't stop Tim from attacking me after he found out. Thanks a lot for that by the way, I may be strong but Tim he knew how to throw a good punch." He joked nudging me slightly.

"Oh, this is that John." Calliope exclaimed, a flicker of relief passing through her eyes as she relaxed against the doorway.

Mark could've gotten whiplash from the speed at which his head jerked back to look at her, confusion pasted on his face.

"Wait is Dr. Torres you're wife?" John asked, "Sweet!" breathed out after my answering nod. "Now you have to see me more often, you know doctor's visits maybe house calls, who knows." he rambles.

"Come on in you guys sit down, our shifts are over and Sophia's with Teddy for a while." I say not wanting to leave.

"I'm sure I can. Though be sure not to tell me anything that you don't want your doctor to know." Calliope smirks pulling one of the chairs to the side of the bed beside me.

"I guess I've got nothing else to do seeing as Lexie..." Mark trailed off his rant at the glare from Calliope, and pulled the chair up beside the bed.

"So I've just got to say this first as the honorary older brother, you hurt her, you well I don't want to get into the details seeing as you're my doctor but it will hurt, and since I don't hit girls I'll have Julliet from my unit come down here and she packs a mean punch. And you," he says moving his line of view from an amused yet uncomfortable Calliope to Mark, "I'm pretty sure Tim wouldn't have killed you so you're still alive but if you hurt either of these three ladies, well to put it kindly there will be plenty of pain." He finishes shifting his glare between Calliope and Mark.

"Honorary older brother?" Mark asks his voice on edge.

"It's because I'm awesome." I say glancing down at the picture of the three of us. Tim and John in their uniforms and me in my white coat.

"True." John answers glancing at the same picture I am.

The other two catch on and follow our eye sight.

"Is that him?" Calliope asks bringing her eyes back to mine.

"Yeah, that's Tim the day these too surprised me on my first day at my old hospital." I say bringing my watery eyes from her to the image of my brothers.

"Who's Tim?" Mark's question stung the air.

"Just the best friend anyone has ever had. That guy took so many bullets for me, I can honestly say if he hadn't saved me as many times as he did, Dr. Torres here would have a worse repair job ahead of her." John took over for me, letting Mark piece together the rest.

Bringing my hand to wipe away the unshed tears, I can feel both John and Calliope rubbing comforting circles on my shoulder and arm respectably.

I smile slightly and rise my head back up to look at the picture at the end of the bed. It held the image of the Tim's casket, John with tears running down his face participating in the twenty-one gun salute, and me, clinging on for dear life to the folded flag Tim's commanding officer had given me.

"I can't remember anything about that day." I say quietly. "All I can remember was the call from my parents, and the airplane hangar. And that stupid flag. Don't get me wrong I love America, I respect the flag. But, what kind of replacement is a flag for a brother?" I ask to the air

"I know what you mean. All I can remember is the gun shots, and the tears. That is one thing I will never understand. Why shoot gun shots for the soldiers we lose? Many spent their last few days dodging them, so why have them present on their final day?" John rants deep in thought.

The group is quiet for a moment.

"I think I better head home." I say with regret as I glance at the clock.

"I'll come with you, we better head by the daycare. You coming Mark?" Calliope asks standing up and wrapping her arm around my waist as I stand beside her.

"Nah, I've still got a while to wait until Lexie gets off shift." He replies

A quick hug and kiss on the cheek later and Calliope and I are on our way to our little girl.

As we walk out to leave we can hear Mark's comment, "So what stories can you tell me about Robbins?"

As we round the daycare hallway I notice the all the tension leaving my body. The heaviness disappearing into a feeling of completeness.


End file.
